101 Fat-Burning Workouts & Diet Strategies For Men: Everything You Need to Get a Lean, Strong and Fit Physique

SECTION ONE

TRAINING

The quest for your best-ever body begins here. In the following pages, you’ll find an incredible compendium of workout routines, effective exercises and fat-searing cardio options all designed with one overriding goal in mind: To help you lean out while also getting fitter and more muscular at the same time. Turn the page to get started.

training contents

1 Ultimate Training Guide

2 Fast-Forward Your Fat Loss Pt. 1

3 Fast-Forward Your Fat Loss Pt. 2

4 Ab training 101

5 Better Abs in Five Weeks

6 Complete Guide To cardio

7 Fit With HIIT

8 Sprint To A Leaner Physique

Ultimate Training Guide

We’ve all been there. In general, your workouts have never been better, but those pesky lower lats are about as responsive as a tackle dummy Or maybe your outer quads or front delts are more Gary Coleman than Ronnie Coleman and just refuse to grow. Then again, perhaps the problem is your entire pec area, or you sport hams that are more like Spam— soft and far from the real thing. Or it could be you’re just pressed for time and want to know how to perform a decent back workout in just 15 minutes.

Cue Workout Central, your one-stop shop for muscle size, strength and definition. In this chapter, we offer 86 workouts, one or more of which we can virtually guarantee will solve your individual training problems. You’d be hard-pressed to find this many individual routines so easy to navigate in one place.

In addition, we provide an efficient 40-minute, total-body workout plan designed especially for those balancing a great physique with a hectic schedule, plus targeted advice for gaining overall muscle mass or getting super lean. So what are you waiting for? Identify your problem, look up the solution and start turning a weakness into a strength.

ROUTINE KEY

THROUGHOUT THE FOLLOWING PAGES, YOU’LL FIND NUMEROUS ROUTINES THAT ADDRESS DIFFERENT TRAINING GOALS AND TROUBLE SPOTS. HERE’S A QUICK GUIDE TO THOSE CATEGORIES AND WHAT THEY ENTAIL.

MASS-BUILDING ROUTINE

Compound movements, high volume and moderate rep ranges for maximizing muscle growth.

BEGINNER’S ROUTINE

Mostly machine-based exercises for those still getting their feet wet before progressing to more advanced moves.

AT-HOME ROUTINE

Requires nothing more than dumbbells and an adjustable bench, a common home-gym setup.

15-MINUTE WORKOUT ROUTINE

Short rest periods and multiple exercises using minimal equipment for a faster pace. (for abs, we offer a 10-minute routine instead of 15.)

PRIORITY WORKOUT ROUTINE

For targeting a specific area of a muscle that needs to be brought up. A priority workout will train other areas of the muscle as well (for example, the short head of the biceps will also be worked in the long head priority workout), just not to the extent of the intended location.

GIANT-SET ROUTINE

All exercises are done consecutively without resting between sets to achieve ultrahigh intensity.

STRENGTH ROUTINE

Lower reps, heavier weight and longer rest periods for when pure strength and power are priorities.

GET RIPPED ROUTINE

High volume, high reps and short rest periods to increase intensity and boost metabolism for greater fat-burning potential.

GET SUPER PUMPED ROUTINE

High reps and short rest periods for increased blood flow to muscles.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU

This chapter is designed to help anyone construct a workout specifically for his needs. In the list at left, you’ll see all of the various types of training sessions we provide for all of the major bodyparts.

Here’s how to use it. Say your goal is to pack more muscle onto a skinny frame. Just pick out all of the mass-building routines and assemble them into one training split — you could do chest and triceps on Monday, back and bi’s on Tuesday, thighs and calves on Thursday, and delts, traps, forearms (and abs) on Friday. Same advice goes if you’re after more strength — pull out all the strength workouts and design a weekly split that works within your schedule.

Of course, you don’t have to completely revamp your current workout routine, if you have one. You can use the following workouts as replacements for one or more bodypart-focused routines, as a way to freshen up a stale regimen. You can even pick out a few new exercises and insert them into existing workouts. The options are limited only by your imagination.

BACK

When targeting a specific area of a muscle, exercise selection is key. In the lower lats priority workout, the movements (most notably back exercises performed using a narrow reverse grip, including the chin) are all effective at zeroing in on the lower portion of the lats, which, when fully developed, create a more dramatic V-taper. In the upper lats priority workout, all exercises are done with a wide overhand grip, which helps develop back width just below the armpits. Ideally you’d utilize both underhand and overhand grips in a given back workout, but each of the aforementioned routines are great for bringing up their respective areas when a weakness is present.

Dumbbell Row

Bend at the waist, placing one knee and the same-side hand on a flat bench (or lean into a sturdy rack). If using a bench, keep your other foot on the floor beside it and hold a dumbbell in the same-side hand, arm fully extended down. pull the weight toward your hip, bringing your elbow up as high as you can, keeping it close to you. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, then lower the weight along the same path. Repeat for reps, then switch arms.

Seated Row

Attach a close-grip handle to a row apparatus and sit upright on the bench facing the weight stack. place your feet on the platform, legs slightly bent. reach forward to grasp the handle; keep your back flat and chest up. with your torso erect, arms fully extended, pull the handle toward your midsection. Keep your elbows in, your torso erect and your head in a neutral position. Squeeze your back muscles. Hold for 1-2 seconds before slowly returning to the start position.

Deadlift

Feet flat under a bar, squat down and take a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. allow the bar to rest against your shins. with your chest up and back flat, lift the bar by extending your hips and knees fully. Keep your arms straight throughout, as you drag the bar up your legs till you are in a standing position. Squeeze your back, legs and glutes, then lower the bar along the same path till it touches the floor. allow the bar to settle before beginning the next rep.

¹ Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.

² A giant set consists of four or more exercises performed consecutively without rest as a means to increase intensity and promote muscle growth. do one set of each exercise back-to-back — that’s one giant set. Rest three minutes between each giant set.

³ Rest 2-3 minutes between each set.

Notes: The above workouts don’t include warm-up sets. Unless otherwise noted, rest 60-90 seconds between all sets.

T-Bar Row

With your arms fully extended, grasp the handles with an overhand, palms-forward grip. Wrap your thumbs around the bar for safety. Lift the bar upward, remaining in the bent-over position. Keep your chest up and back flat, head in a neutral position. Pull the handles toward you, keeping your elbows close to your body. Do not allow your upper body to raise in an effort to pull the weight upward. Hold the peak contracted position momentarily before slowly lowering the weight to the starting position.

Machine Row

Sit at a selectorized row machine, with your feet flat on the floor and your chest pressed against the pad. Grasp the handles with either a neutral or overhand grip, and pull the handles toward you, squeezing your lats briefly, then return to the start and repeat.

Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown

Stand facing the weight stack at a lat-pulldown station with your feet shoulder-width apart. Reach up and grasp a standard lat-pulldown bar or long straight bar with an overhand (pronated) grip, hands shoulder-width apart, arms straight. Start with the bar at shoulder level, arms extended and parallel to the floor. Keeping your arms straight, pull the bar down toward your thighs in a wide, sweeping arc, focusing on using just your lats. Exhale as you pass the midpoint of the move, and squeeze your lats hard once the bar reaches your thighs. Return to the starting position in a smooth, controlled motion, stopping once your arms are parallel to the floor.

Bent-Over Row

Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, grasp a barbell with a wide, overhand grip. Keeping your knees slightly bent, lean forward at your waist until your torso is roughly parallel with the floor. The barbell should hang straight down in front of your shins. Without raising your upper body, pull the barbell up toward your abdomen, bringing your elbows high and above the level of your back. Hold the bar in the peak-contracted position for a brief count, then slowly lower along the same path. Repeat for reps.

Reverse-Grip Pulldown

Attach a long lat bar to the pulley and adjust the kneepad for a snug fit. Grasp the bar with a reverse, shoulder-width grip and sit down, maintaining erect posture by contracting your lower back. Your arms should be extended above you, your head straight and feet flat on the floor. Contract your lats to pull the bar to your upper chest, bringing your elbows straight down and behind you. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom and hold the peak contraction briefly. Slowly return the bar along the same path and repeat.

Close-Grip Pulldown

Attach a V-bar to the pulley and adjust the kneepad so that you fit snugly in the seat. Grasp the bar with a neutral grip and sit down, maintaining an erect posture by contracting your lower back. Your arms should be fully extended above you with your head straight and feet flat on the floor. Contract your lats to pull the bar down to your upper chest, bringing your elbows straight down. Squeeze your lats as you hold the peak contracted position for a brief count. Slowly return the handle along the same path and repeat.

Pullover

Lie perpendicular across a bench, with your upper back, head and neck supported by the bench. Your feet should be flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell with your arms extended above your face. Keeping your arms straight, slowly lower the dumbbell back toward the top of your head, feeling a good stretch in your chest. Pause, then forcefully reverse direction with the dumbbell, squeezing your chest at the top.

Standing Low Cable Row

Stand facing the cable low pulley and grasp the V-bar. Bend your knees, keeping your back flat and chest up. Allow your arms to point directly toward the low pulley, fully extended. Keeping your abs tight, pull the handle into your lower abs. Squeeze your lats, then return to the start position.

Lat Pulldown

Sit at a lat pulldown machine so the bar is directly overhead or slightly in front of your body. Adjust the pads so your quads fit snugly beneath. Grasp the angled ends of the bar with a wide, overhand grip. Keep your abs tight and back slightly arched with your feet flat on the floor. Squeeze